Household Hints

Household Hints One of our former residents, Bob Schneider, appeared on our in-house cable channel 77 to provide some important household hints. Bob has submitted his information to be displayed as a real time resource. 

Some things to think about with a storm:

If your back sliding door is exposed to the snow, be sure to clean some of it away so when it melts it does not come into house vie tracks. Also applies to windows.

If you have a fireplace run it a while to melt snow around roof exhaust.

Do same with dryer for about 15 minutes. If it exhausts out the side of the house and vent is covered with snow, do not use dryer till vent is cleared of snow.

When you open the garage door, snow will fall into the garage and may not allow garage door to close all the way. Get rid of snow first before closing.

If you have a basement clear around windows.

Think of more that applies to your house.

DRYER VENTS

Regardless of the model of your home cleaning of the clothes dryer vents should be done every few years. Lint from the dryer that gets past the machine filter does tend to build up in the exhaust conduits and should be cleaned. Check your yellow pages under “dryer vents” for contractors that do this type of maintenance.

 GARAGE DOOR SEASONAL MAINTENANCE

Here is a twenty-one-point garage door check that you can do yourself and save a few hundred dollars. Most of the items are check this and check that, lubricate this and lubricate that. If you see something major like a spring, or wire rope about to break, then call in a qualified repairperson to fix the problem. Here goes:

1. Check the ends of springs that there are no cracks in the closed loop.
2. Check ends of wire rope that go around the pulleys for fraying.
3. Check that the safety wire through the springs is secured on both ends.
4. Lubricate chain with a light coating of grease.
5. Check reverse mechanism of door with a two by four placed where door stops.
6. Lubricate all wire rope pulleys with silicon spray or WD-40.
7. Lubricate nylon gears with light coat of grease.
8. Check chain tension (refer to your manual for proper adjustment).
9. Lubricate all door hinges with silicon spray or WD-40.
10. Lubricate all rollers that ride in door frame with silicon spray or WD-40
11. Lubricate door lock mechanism.
12. Check door opener with key (hopefully you still have it).
13. Check emergency release mechanism (that red handle on end of rope).
14. Replace garage light bulb with a rough & tough one for anti-vibration.
15. Check rubber seal on door bottom & replace if worn.
16. Clean windows if applicable.
17. Inspect vinyl moldings on sides of door and clean.
18. Check green beam alignment and secure brackets.
19. Check all support brackets from ceiling to unit.
20. Lubricate”T” rail that the trolley rides on with thin coat of grease.

You may have to stand on a stepladder to get a better view so wear eye safety protection and gloves while doing this very important inspection.

If it becomes necessary to replace the garage door springs and you are a DIY (Do It Yourself) person, at the lower left side of the Clopay garage door, there is a manufacturer’s label with a serial number ( about 16 numbers) on it. If you call 1-800-225-6729 (1-800-2CLOPAY) they will give you the weight of the door and the proper size spring to use for that door once you give them the garage door particulars. Replace them in pairs. Remember to put the wire rope back through the spring before installing the spring. This wire rope prevents the spring from flying around if it breaks in the future. Measure spring length in relaxed position, do not include end coils. Do not use lighter or heavier springs than suggested You all probably know this, but in case of a power failure, your garage door can still be raised or lowered by pulling on the cord with the red handle hanging from the door mechanism. This releases the door from the motor trolley and can now be manually lowered or raised. If you have a two car wide single door, be careful, as it may be too heavy to lift or lower manually. You should have a key to the garage door. You can lock the door from the inside by rotating the handle inside. The small knob below the handle will release the lock. The key will open the lock from the outside. 

There, I saved you a few hundred dollars.

 GRAB BARS

Being that this is an ACTIVE ADULT COMMUNITY you may think that this item is not for us, but a properly placed support bar in the bath or shower could very well be something to think about. A member of your family or an elderly guest will find these devices very helpful. Proper installation is imperative and should be done by a qualified person. Mounting directions and required tools are outlined in the package.

 LADDER SAFETY

Remember that rule of thumb when setting up a ladder against a wall. For every four feet of height of the wall that the ladder is leaning against, the base of the ladder should be one foot away. For example, if the top of the ladder leaning against a wall is twelve feet high, the base of the ladder should be three feet away from the wall. A second person securing a ladder or step ladder to keep it from sliding or moving is always good safety practice. Do not lean sideways further than your outstretched arm. Be sure that base of ladder is secured. Check that all stepladders and step stools are locked in their open position prior to ascending.

Stay off the second from the top rung. If ladder is in front of door, make sure door is locked. Stay off the top step on stepladders.

 LOCKS – RE-KEY

If you are a second owner, or feel there are entrance locks, or dead bolt keys that you want to change, it can be done without having to remove the entire door handle assembly. If you are a, do it yourselfer, the lock assembly can be removed and brought to a locksmith. The internal parts of the cylinder have to be removed and replaced with new parts. Do not disassemble the internal tumblers by yourself. Special tools are needed to do this. There are also locksmiths that will come to your house to do this. Check the yellow pages. The new code is that a licensed locksmith can only do the necessary re-key.

 MOEN SINK, SHOWER AND VANITY FIXTURES

 The Moen faucets installed in our homes carry a lifetime warrantee. If you are experiencing any drips or leaks, notify them of problem for replacement parts (1 800-289-6636). Have model # handy.

 SMOKE DETECTORS

 I have received several calls from residents asking me what to do when a smoke detector continues to chirp, even with a new battery installed. My first question is how old is the smoke detector in question? The original Firex units installed had a manufacturer’s lifetime warranty of five years. Maybe an additional three to four years could be stretched out. The point is they do have a life, and once they start chirping for no apparent reason it is time to replace them. I say them, in that if one goes the other three will be failing soon. Depending on the model of your home, there are usually three units in the living area and one in the attic. Change them all. The big boxes carry them along with some electrical supply houses. I also recommend putting a simple battery operated one in the utility room where the dryer and hot water heaters are located. Change that battery when you change the other four. An additional smoke detector in the garage is not a bad idea either.

The one most cause to false alarms or chirps is a weak battery in the unit. The battery, usually a 9v one, should be changed as a regular maintenance item. Alarms may look clean, but dust can accumulate inside the cover affecting the sensitivity of the unit. A small insect (spider) in the wrong place inside the unit could also affect the operation of the detector. Gently vacuum the outside cover plate of the smoke detector regularly, using the vacuum’s soft brush attachment. Because our smoke detectors are interconnected or wired together, the unit may be triggering the alarm in another part of the home. Smoke may be present, but you cannot see it. Smoke detectors may alarm briefly when power is interrupted, then restored. Ionization smoke alarms are more susceptible to nuisance alarms when placed near a bathroom or other potentially high humidity area. Smoke alarms placed near a cold air return are more susceptible to nuisance alarms because dusty air can be blown through the alarm sensing chamber. Smoke detectors should be at least 20 feet from appliances like furnaces and ovens, which produce combustion particles. Alarms should be at least 10 feet from high humidity areas like showers and laundry rooms, and at least 3 feet from heating and air-conditioning vents.

 Unwanted alarms can occur if a Smoke Alarm is placed directly next to a fuel-burning source. A false chirp may also originate from a weak battery in your Carbon Monoxide Detector and cause you to go on a witch hunt to find the chirping smoke alarm. They sound alike.

When you change the smoke detector batteries, make sure you “tie” them together electrically, so, if there is an emergency, they all sound, alerting the homeowner there is a problem somewhere in the home. It is best to do this when putting in new batteries. Starting at any unit, replace the battery and press and hold test button for about three seconds. The test button and the unit will beep. Go to the second unit, replace battery and press the test button for about three seconds. Now both units should beep. Continue to the third and fourth units doing the same. At the last detector, all the units will beep together. Do not forget the unit in the attic. When they all go off together it gets pretty loud, so alert anyone in the house what you are doing.

In case of an emergency, each smoke detector will sound an alarm independently of the others even though they are not electrically tied together. The audible alarm of all the detectors together is much louder then only one of them.